


Help

by Kamaray



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Drugs, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sex Pollen, Slow Romance, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:35:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28704519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamaray/pseuds/Kamaray
Summary: Ward was the last person she thought she would be turning to for help. Yet here she was. Daisy Johnson just didn't know how much help he was going to be and how much the people she considered her family had really changed.This story will contain very adult themes and could be triggering to those sensitive to such. It will not be glossing over the trama that abuse usually leaves with its survivors.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Kebo & Grant Ward, Kebo & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Rosalind Price, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Grant Ward
Comments: 44
Kudos: 120





	1. Who you gonna call?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm new to the whole writing fanfics thing. Please be kind and comment any ideas or criticism you think will help. 
> 
> Updates will be irregular at best. I promise I am working on this one but you know....life.

The sound of his phone vibrating across the nightstand woke him. He took stock of the room. Nothing else seemed to have changed since he went to bed. This was a new safe house so he wasn’t used to the outdoor noises yet, but nothing sounded out of place. He rolled over and looked at his clock. The red light glared back reading 12:54 AM. Sending a glare to the ceiling he grabbed his phone. An unknown number was flashing across the screen. 

_ Who the hell has this number? Kebo better not have lost another phone.  _ Was his thought as he hit answer. Holding the phone to his ear he waited not saying anything. He didn’t want to give any information out. It could be a wrong number. Or it could be S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Ward?”

_ Fuck. Option two it is. _

That was a voice he never thought he would hear again. At least not saying his name like that. 

“Skye...um… Daisy?” He remembered too late that she had changed her name, “Is there a reason you are calling me at one in the morning?”

“I need help,” Her voice seemed to break as she stated this simple fact. Grant thought he heard tears in her voice. His heart went out to her even as he told himself to tell her no. This had to be a trap. There was no way she would be calling him for help. One would think being shot in the back while trying to help her would have forced his heart to turn from her, but no he was still an idiot. A lovesick puppy.  _ God, I’m a dumbshit. _

“What do you need?” He heard himself ask even as he winced at how desperate he sounded. He was already pulling on his pants and tucking a gun into the back. 

“I need to disappear,” Daisy couldn’t believe she was asking this of him, but she didn’t know where else to go, “I don’t know what to do. I think I lost them but I’m not sure.”

Grant’s eyebrows rose as he realized how much trouble she must be in. “Where are you?”

“Somewhere in Boston. I will send you the coordinates. Can I text this number?”

“Yeah. I can be in Boston in about an hour.” Without a goodbye, he hung up and rubbed a hand down his face. He grabbed another gun and put it into the holster in his boot as a text with an address popped up on his lock screen. 

_ Well, this night just got a lot more interesting,  _ he thought as he climbed into the driver’s seat. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She couldn’t believe he was actually going to help her. She sent a silent prayer, grateful that even if Grant Ward hated her he wasn’t going to let her get hurt. She didn’t know exactly how long she had been at the facility. She had swiped some clothes and was getting dressed in something besides a hospital gown. Grant was the only person she had a contact for that she knew would never turn her over to Coulson. She had lost her tail and called the number she had memorized months ago. She could practically hear him giving advice as they trained in the early hours on the bus

_ Always gather info. You never know when something you thought was nothing actually saves your life. _

She caught a glimpse of her S.O. ducking around the corner. She knew May was there for her. It hadn’t even been three hours since she had broken out of that hell hole. 

_ Shit, shit, shit. If May is here then the rest aren’t far behind.  _

She sent a quick text to Ward that she had May following her and was going to try to lose her. Daisy knew she was out of time if she had seen May. Across the street was a moderately nice hotel. She sprinted into the main lobby, hoping that May’s attempt to avoid being seen gave her a few moments to slip away. 

She strolled across the lobby toward the desk. She removed her coat and grabbed a blazer from the back of the night clerk’s chair. The bright red stuck out like a sore thumb, but it was completely different from her black leather so it would go unnoticed, at least at first. 

She headed toward the door marked  **Employees Only** and was eternally grateful for the door out the back in the small break room. She peeked around the door and rushed to find cover out of the dark alley the door led to. 

Well, that took all of three minutes, only 57 more until Ward would be here to help her. Her experience with disappearing did not include immediate threats. She was more of the ‘disappear before they find you’ kind of girl. She slipped into the crowd waiting for the Orange line and removed the red blazer. 

A drunk girl had fallen asleep waiting on the rail and had her scarf and her purse next to her. Daisy scooped them up and adjusted them so she looked like a young woman on her way home from a fun night. 

Stepping into the rail car, she put her head down and noticed four stops from here was China town. She could disappear there.

_ Better safe than sorry _ she thought as she tossed her phone out at the next stop and texted Ward from the phone she found in the purse. 

**_Hey robot, had to lose the other number. On the Orange line going to Chinatown. ETA?_ **

She didn’t expect a text any time soon, but she thought she should keep him informed of the situation. The more information he had the more he could help. She jumped slightly as the phone went off a few seconds later.

**_Did you lose her? Find a motel and break into a room. Text me when you do. DO NOT CALL! ETA 30 min._ **

**_Why can’t I call? Aren’t you driving? Don’t text and drive. ;)_ **

**_Calls can be overheard. And stop doubting my skills. Texting is by far the least distracting thing I have ever had to do while driving. Did you lose her?_ **

She smiled as she read his text and felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. She had a plan. Ward was the best since Romanoff. He would get her out of there.

**_I think so. It has been a little bit. I have not recognized any face as a repeat._ ** She was remembering his words as he taught her how to notice a tail. She waited a few more minutes but got no reply. 

She stepped out at China town and looked for a motel that wasn’t too close to the subway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ Fuck.  _ Grant was thinking that word a lot tonight. May was there. May was good. Hell, May was great. Who else was there? That was the question.

_ Okay Skye, what did you get into that you are running from May? What trouble did you find that has you turning to me instead of the team? _

Grant thought of scenarios of things that could go wrong with what information he had.

  * _Skye needs help from him. That means she doesn’t want Coulson anywhere near her._


  * Skye is on the T going to Chinatown. Where did she get on at?


  * May was tailing Skye


  * Unknown if Skye lost her


  * Skye was keeping him informed.



That last thought made him relax a bit. Skye wouldn’t have updated him that May was tailing her if it was a trap. While this made him feel better about going into the situation, it was worse for Skye. He had about 20 minutes until he was in China Town. Skye hadn’t texted with a motel so he assumed she hadn’t made it to one yet. 

Now to figure out what to do with Skye after he got to her. He knew he was going to help her, but he needed more info. Scrolling through his contacts he dialed and waited. 

“Yeah boss,” a groggy voice answered almost instantly.

“Sorry to wake you but I need some info in the next 15 minutes,” Ward skipped any more pleasantries and dove in, “I have a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent calling me for help. Melinda May is her tail and she is inhuman.”

“Boss, there are exactly three SHIELD agents you would help. And only one of them is inhuman. You have got to stop caring about her. She sold you to your brother, remember?” 

“Kebo, I need the info. I know I’m being stupid. I don’t need you to tell me.”

“Well as long as you know. I will have the info as soon as I can. Text or call?”

“Go ahead and call. I am headed to Chinatown in Boston. I will send you an address when I have it. I expect you there by 9 tomorrow morning.” His phone lit up with a text from Skye. He relayed the info to Kebo.

“Do you want a team or just me?” Kebo wondered just how much of their operation the boss was willing to expose.

“Just you. I don’t want her to know about the operation until we have more info.”

“Good call boss. Talk at you soon.”

Grant tossed the phone into the cup holder and hoped he was doing the right thing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Less than five minutes later came a call from Kebo.

“What do you have?” Ward barked.

“Hello to you too. I’m great. I love being woke up at 1:30 in the morning and told to help the woman that tried to kill my best friend.”

“Let's be honest, I’m your only friend.”

“Thus you are the best one by default,” Kebo chuckled on the other end of the line, “I couldn’t find much. I just have a broadcast that went out that she is wanted alive and is to be considered unstable and dangerous.”

“Unstable? What does that mean?”

“No idea, Ward. Dangerous is what worries me. Do I need to bring more than a field med kit?”

“She is a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Of course, she is dangerous. Not to mention her powers.”

“Do you want me to rope in a team?”

Grant sighed and thought about it. Did he need more than him and Kebo? How much trouble was Skye in exactly?

“Not yet. I don’t want our people walking into a trap. That’s why I don’t want you until morning. But put one on stand by just in case. I would rather be safe than sorry.”

“Oh let’s be honest. You want to finally sleep with her because you are still an idiot.”

Grant could practically see the smile through the phone. 

“Wipe the smile off your face and get here.” The phone was tossed again and he pulled off the interstate. 

**_I am almost positive I lost my tail._ **

Grant smiled as the text came in. He was pulling up to the motel now. He parked at the fast food joint across the street to watch for a bit. He wanted to be certain that no one else was watching the place before he went in. There was no movement for 5 minutes. 

**_I need you to go get ice from the machine and go back to your room. Act like you know you are safe._ **

He pulled out his binoculars and watched as Skye emerged from room 104 and headed toward the ice machine with the bucket. She was wearing a scarf that was loud and had tucked her hair into a hat. He raised an eyebrow. If he hadn’t been looking for her he wouldn’t have thought twice about the girl that was walking across the motel to get ice.  _ Nice job, rookie.  _

He headed over to the motel. Tapping on the window lightly he waited until he heard the door unlock and the knob started to turn and he rushed into the room.  She was obviously surprised by the way he entered the room.

“Hi,” she squeaked out, jumping back and sitting on the bed.

“Hi. What happened?” He needed to know the situation. Nothing was sitting right. Skye didn’t call him for help. May didn’t chase down her mini-me.

“Oh so much. Cliffnotes? I lost control. A.C. let his girlfriend experiment on me. I escaped and called you.” Skye sat looking at her hands folded in her lap.

Grant kneeled down and tilted her head up.

“Coulson let someone experiment on you?” He couldn’t believe that. Skye was the closest thing Coulson had ever had to a daughter. He would never let someone hurt her. Grant could see that that was the wrong question as she tried to hold back tears. “Oh, Rookie.”

  
  


Skye did not expect to be pulled off the bed and into Grant’s arms. He hugged her tight with her head tucked under his chin. Unable to hold back as he squeezed his arms around her back tears started trailing down her face. Sobs followed. Her small body shook as she cried in his arms.

Without letting go Grand picked both of them off the floor and sat down on the bed with her still in his arms.

“Skye, I need to know what to expect. Who all is after you? Where did you escape from?” She held up a hand pulling her head off his shoulder. 

“One question at a time. As far as I know, SHIELD and the ATCU are the only ones after me. I escaped from a warehouse down by the piers that was acting as their base of operations here in Boston.”

“Okay. So you called me as soon as you got out? How did you get that number?”

“I have had that number for the last three months. I pulled it from your sidekick’s phone the last time we ran into you guys.”

“Fucking Kebo.” Grant shook his head. “So I need a new phone and a new friend.”  That pulled a smile ever so slightly onto Skye’s face and Grant thought it was worth the pain of having to get a new phone.

“I didn’t give that number to A.C. or anyone else.”

“Why not? Three months ago you were a SHIELD agent and Coulson’s favorite.”

“A lot has changed, Ward. Coulson isn’t the same man he was on the BUS.”

Grant snorted at that comment.  _ Coulson locked me in a cell for six months and let me try to commit suicide multiple times. He is just the same. _ He knew he couldn’t say that to Skye though so instead he went with, “You don’t say?”

“I started having doubts when he sent you to your brother and it has just gotten worse.”

“Back to the subject at hand,” Grant did not want to talk about anything to do with that, “How many besides May are we looking at?” He stopped himself from asking another question. He was going to play this her way for now. 

“Honestly I don’t know. I would assume a strike team from ATCU which usually has between five and ten boots and one from SHIELD. May could be alone or not. I have no way of knowing. Coulson gave me to the ATCU weeks ago.”

“I’m sorry Skye but I have to ask. What experiments did they run?”

A humorless chuckle came from the small woman still in his arms. “Oh so many. Simple from reflexes to cutting me open to see, and I will quote Ros here, ‘if the freak still looks the same on the inside.’”

Grant stopped her from going on. He pulled her back to his chest and rocked her. Muttering under his breath at how sorry he was.  _ Ros is going to die. Followed quickly by Coulson. _

“Skye do you think you can sleep? You need to rest. I have a plan in place for the morning but, and I mean no offense, you have looked better.”

“What you don’t think torture agrees with me?” She flipped her hair back, and smirked to cover the uncomfortable tension that had started as she was still sitting on him.

Grant let her go and watched as she scooted up the bed. She removed her boots and started to remove her jeans. A blush rose to his cheeks and he quickly turned to give her some privacy. 

“Grant?” Her voice sounded very small as she poked her head above the covers. “Can you please stay close? I really don’t want to be alone.”

Grant laid down on top of the blankets right next to her. “I’m not going anywhere. Get some sleep, Skye.”

He heard her mumble “It’s Daisy,” as she yawned and closed her eyes. She was asleep within minutes. Once he knew she was asleep he turned and swept her hair out of her face. 

“You will always be Skye to me.”


	2. Not helpful Kebo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kebo joins the two at the motel and annoys everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit shorter of a chapter, but I knew where I wanted to end it so I hope you all enjoy. Please comment and let me know what you think. 
> 
> To answer a few questions I have gotten:  
> Kara will not be in the story.  
> I hate how the show handled Ward. He tried to commit suicide (multiple times) and they act like that is nothing to worry about. Phil is all about second chances in S1 and then he is all F* Ward he can rot after Hydra.

Skye woke up to the sounds of Grant on the phone in the bathroom. She couldn’t quite make out what he was talking about, but she didn’t want to interrupt or eavesdrop. He had been beyond nice all things considered. 

He was different last night than he had been the last time she had seen him in Puerto Rico. She closed her eyes as a wave of regret hit her harder than she thought it would. He didn’t seem obsessed with her, anymore. More like the caring man she had come to know after the incident with the Asgardian Staff. Before she could about it think anymore, he emerged from the bathroom putting his phone back in his pocket.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you,” He put his head down as he said this. 

“I don’t think you did. I was waking up at 4:30 every morning to train with May so…” She let the statement end there. Skye didn’t know what time they had started their experiments on her. She knew she was always already wide awake before they came into her cell.

“Well, it is barely past 7 right now. I have a contact meeting us at 9. I would rather meet here than anywhere else. Less chance of getting spotted if we stay in. Do you think we can wait on breakfast until then? I brought a few protein bars and water in my bag.”

“I’m not hungry right now. I will take a water, though.” Skye smiled up at him.

Grant was just happy that she hadn’t run yet. The last time they had spoken before last night, he hadn’t exactly been in his right mind. Nope, not going down that road. He tossed a bottle of water at her and grabbed a protein bar as well for himself. 

“Grant, I wanted to apologize…” Grant turned back toward her and interrupted her.

“I don’t want to hear it. I get that I was awful to you, but you shot me in the back when I was trying to get you out alive. You helped sell me to my tormentor. You knew what he had done to me and you handed me over like I was a Christmas present with a big red bow. I am not talking about this. I will be nice and civil and even help you because it is the right thing to do, but that is it. Nothing more. I am trying to be what I think is a good man. Last night I forgot myself. It was stupid of me. I’m just happy you haven’t made me regret it.”

Skye was speechless. She didn’t know he had felt that way, but looking back at it she knew he was right. They hadn’t even gotten him help after he tried to commit suicide. He sat on the end of the bed. 

Changing subjects, Skye asked, “What’s the plan then? Can I know that?”

“At 9, Kebo will be here with a jet. He should be alone,” Grant sighed and muttered under his breath, “If he listened.”

Skye smirked. She knew how much it bugged Grant when someone didn’t follow orders. 

“I’m gonna go take a shower then. I didn’t get a chance last night, and I feel like I have been strapped down and tortured for weeks on end.” Her smirk was hard to miss. Grant held himself back from returning with a smile. 

Leave it to Skye to make a joke out of a serious situation. Grant laid back onto the bed to catch a few minutes of sleep while Skye was in the shower. He didn’t dare sleep last night after getting here. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
“IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL,” Kebo sang at the top of his lungs in the jet to annoy the other two sitting in the back. “IT’S A SMALL WOR….” He was cut off by a shock from one of his partner’s weapons.

“God damn it Rumlow,” Kebo cursed.

“Shut up Kebo. We are going into an unknown situation already. I don’t want to have a headache from you on top of it. What did Ward say exactly?”

“Mostly that he wanted me to come alone. I don’t think he is going to be happy when we show up.”

The woman behind Rumlow stood up and glared at Kebo. “Ward couldn’t honestly think we would let you come alone did he?

“I have given up on trying to figure out what that man is thinking,” Kebo threw up his arms in defeat. 

“Relax Kebo. I’ll handle Ward.” Laying her hand on Kebo’s shoulder she returned to sit in the back. “How long until we start our descent?”

“We should be there in under an hour. Bossman wanted me to meet him at 9 so we will have an hour to check out the perimeter. How are you going to save my ass when he finds out you tagged along?”

Rumlow chuckled and sat back down. Turning to the woman across from him as she spoke, “Me and the brickhead over there will check the perimeter and you will go to the room alone. Ward won’t know we are there until after you check in with an update to the situation. You will check-in no later than 30 minutes after entering the room. If you have not checked in we will come in hot and assess the situation.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kebo and Rumlow both replied. Kebo shot Rumlow a smirk and started humming It’s a Small World.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Grant was awake and on his phone again when he saw Skye come out of the bathroom.

“Alright Kebo Room 104,” Grant muttered and hung up. He stood and turned toward Skye.

“Kebo is around the block. He will meet us here. I am going to go scout to make sure we are still alone. Stay away from the window.”

“Yes, sir,” Skye sarcastically remarked with a mock salute.

Grant rolled his eyes at her and exited the suddenly too small room.

He looked back to make sure she listened and didn’t try to follow him, then turned the corner and found Kebo sitting in a blue suburban. 

“Hey Boss Man,” Kebo greeted his longtime friend.

“Shove it Kebo. Who else is here?” Grant glared at the man in the driver’s seat.

“You told me to come alone.”

“And I know you didn’t listen. So I will ask only one more time, who else?”

“Rumlow and the Warden,” Kebo said in the smallest voice he could hoping Grant didn’t hear him. By the look he was given he knew Grant had heard anyway.

“Fucking great,” Grant ran a hand down his face and sighed. Rumlow is bad enough but how am I going to explain her? Grant ran through different scenarios in his head. 

“How long until you have to check in with her?”

“How did you know that? Nevermind. 30 minutes.”

“Fine, but we need to explain some things to Skye before they come bursting in guns drawn.”

“You want me to sit in a room with QUAKE!” Kebo’s voice said the name in a high pitched squeal. 

“Yes. Now let’s go.” Grant stood and headed back around the motel toward the room. He didn’t look back to see if Kebo was following him. If he wasn’t then Grant would drag him in later. A moment later Kebo caught up with him grumbling under his breath about stupid friends and certain death. Grant just smiled and tapped on the window for Skye to let them in.

“Kebo play nice,” Grant warned as they entered the small motel room.

“Me? What about the scary chick with powers? You aren’t going to tell her to be nice to me?”

“No because honestly I hope she kicks your ass for not listening to me.”

“Love you too bossman.”

Turning away from Kebo and his complaints, Grant looked down at Skye as she was putting on her boots. “Hold on a minute Skye. There are a few things we need to talk about before we get going.” 

“Ok? Why?”

“Well I was going to explain on the jet, but dumbass here didn’t listen to me and brought along company so now I have to explain before we get to the jet.”

“Good or bad Ward?”

“Both and neither. I am not working with Hydra if that’s what you are asking. However one of the people who will be on the jet is Brock Rumlow…”

“Rumlow? As in, tried to kill Captain America? That Rumlow?” Skye interrupted. She couldn’t believe Ward was in league with someone like that. He had said he was trying to be good. “That is the exact opposite of being a good man.”

“Yes that Rumlow but it is more complicated than that.”

“Yeah Bossman and Dumblow are the good guys now,” Kebo piped in only to be glared at by both Grant and Skye.

“Not helpful Kebo. I’m working with a new group now.”

Skye stopped glaring at Kebo and instead glared at Grant. “Oh so you are now with another evil organization. Just great. How many of those are there anyway?”

Skye looked like she was going to go on so Grant blurted out, “What? No! I’m with the Avengers. Or at least Captain America.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think.


	3. Everyone needs help sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant explains what happened after Skye shot him.

Skye stood perfectly still. Ward was seriously delusional if he thought she was going to believe that one. What was his game? She grabbed a water bottle out of Grant’s bag and made for the door.

“Ok. Nice to see you. I appreciate the help, but I have it from here. Kebo, always good to see you. I promise not to shoot first next time,” Skye reached for the door as Grant wrapped an arm around her waist. Lifting her easily he put himself between her and the door. 

“Skye,” he said in a tone that he had used so many times before with her. It was the ‘I’m seriously annoyed with you and would you just listen for once in your life’ tone that he had perfected as her S.O.

“Oh don’t Skye me. What is this? Let me leave Ward,” she growled as she shoved him off of her. He allowed it as it put her further into the room. Skye crossed her arms across her chest and gave him what she thought was an impressive glare. Grant just chuckled and Kebo moved to stand next to him.

“Listen to the Bossman, Little Natural Disaster,” Kebo looked down at Skye with some measure of sympathy. She turned her glare to him. Kebo tried not to shrink under it. “It isn’t as simple of a situation as you think it is. Hydra is very good at making their people comply.”

“Yeah, don’t care,” Skye remarked turning away from the testosterone-filled morons blocking her path. She saw Grant running a hand over his face. A sure sign he was highly annoyed.  _ Yeah well, the feeling is mutual. _

“Skye, I don’t have time to convince you that I am telling the truth. I am going to lay everything out and then when the others get here you can ask anything you want. I will tape your mouth shut if you don’t want to listen,” Grant didn’t want to threaten her, but she is the one that called him for help. He wasn’t about to let her leave just to be captured and tortured again. 

“I’ll go get the tape out of the car,” Kebo piped up. He practically ran out the door before Grant or Skye could say or do anything.

“Goddamn Kebo,” Grant sighed. He sat down next to Skye on the bed. “Look I know how bad everything got, but I need you to listen. In less than 30 minutes we are going to have two highly trained agents coming in here with guns hot. I need you not to freak out when they get here which means I need to explain at least the basics before they show up.”

“Fine, I will listen. But lock the door. I don’t want to deal with him while listening to whatever story you’re about to weave.”

Chuckling Grant sent a quick text to Kebo to wait in the car. He however did not lock the door. He figured if it was unlocked then there was less chance of someone causing property damage and them getting caught. Grant held up his phone to show that he had texted Kebo to stay out. She nodded.

“Okay, where to begin? I guess at the last time we saw each other. After you shot me, thanks for not taking the headshot, by the way, Kebo patched me up. Turns out that whatever that psycho Asgard bitch did to me was still in my system but had transferred my obsession from her to you. God, I honestly thought I was helping you.” Grant looked over at her. The shock of this information was very evident on her face. He hoped she was actually listening. He wanted to apologize but knew it wasn’t time. He knew she wasn’t ready to hear it. He continued.

“After I was able to move on my own, Kebo contacted Bruce Banner. He figured Banner was one of the few people on Earth that could help me. I wasn’t exactly in my right mind as I said and I wasn’t exactly willing to be ‘fixed.’ I don’t know how but Kebo convinced Banner to help me. Banner called in the rest of the Avengers and a doc named Cho. After Banner and Dr. Cho reset my brain and we realized just how bad I was all I have wanted to do is make up for the giant mess I helped create. Garrett had essentially brainwashed me and then Lorelei caused an addiction type… Well, honestly I don’t completely understand what happened.”

Skye was in shock.  _ What in the world? Why didn’t anyone at SHIELD notice this?  _

“Wow,” was all she could think to say.

“It might be a miracle Skye is speechless,” Grant smiled as she hit him. 

“Shut up. It is a lot to process. How long had you been under Garrett’s influence? Is that even the right word?”

“John Garrett saved me from an attempted murder and arson charge when I was 15. From what I have been able to find out he started conditioning me as soon as he got me out of there. I am still working on getting rid of the conditioning. I broke part of it with Fitzsimmons. He ordered me to put them down. I should have shot them. No questions asked, but I couldn’t. I thought that stupid pod would float,” Grant had worked himself up. He could feel the panic attack clawing its way up his chest. Suddenly Skye took his hand and placed it on her chest. He looked into her eyes.  _ What the hell are you doing Skye? _

“Breath Grant. Just breath. Feel my heart,” Skye squeezed his hand to emphasize her point, “Slow down your heart rate. Ground yourself.” She knew how hard it could be to deal with trauma. She had had her fair share of it. “Breath. Focus on what you can feel. How the bed feels under you. How the ground feels under your boots. Focus and breath.”

Taking a deep breath in through his nose he exhaled out his mouth. He repeated the process all while looking into Skye’s eyes until the clawing in his chest was barely noticeable. He gave her a look of thanks and took his hand back. 

“That’s the basics. I’m gonna have Kebo come back in now if that is ok?”

Skye rolled her eyes. “Does he have to come back in? I have the urge to shoot him every time he opens his mouth.”

“We all have that urge. Think of it as a lesson in self-control.”

"Yeah, I would rather shoot him."

Grant laughed and felt a little lighter. She wasn’t trying to run anymore. Maybe she would let him help her.  _ I promise I will make up for hurting you Skye. No matter what. _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rumlow was tired of waiting. He took out his taser rods and started twirling them. The woman across from him glared.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a professional? Put the toys away. We have 10 minutes til we need to go rescue the idiots.”

“At least I’m not the only one who thinks they’re idiots. What are you going to say to the Cap and the rest?”

“I was going to go with ‘Well you know how Ward is trying to be good? He got a call for help and before he thought it through he took off and decided to play hero.’ I figure he can explain the rest.”

“You know they’re going to question letting him go solo again after this.”

“His mission was a success. He was in and out and clean about it. No casualties. No one even knew he was there. He was supposed to wait in the safe house in Providence until extract, but I think it may be impossible for you men to think with something other than your dick.”

“You know you love our dicks so stop complaining,” Rumlow chuckled. 

“Don’t be crude, Brock.”

“We both know you aren’t a blushing virgin. Hell if even half the stories are true you…” Rumlow was cut off as she took his taser rod and shocked him before he could defend himself.

“Say another word and you won’t be conscious to help with this,” She growled at the man hunched over in pain. She dropped the rod at his feet and sat back down.

“Fuck Natasha. That hurt.”

“That was the point.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.


	4. Hurt or Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha looks over Skye and they get back to the Jet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a little more difficult to write. I know where this story is going, but getting there is harder than I thought it would be. This chapter does have some torture, only a little though. Enjoy.

“You are supposed to be in the room with them. What if she kills him?” Natasha opened the door of the car Kebo was reclining in. He tumbled out onto the cement. He looked up hopeful that Natasha’s tone was harsher than her mood. It was not. 

“Bossman had it handled. He had already manhandled her with me there and she didn’t do anything more than yell at him. They neither wanted me there so I figured I would wait for your beautiful face,” Kebo remarked grinning up at the scary woman above him.

“Flirting with her is just gonna get you hurt,” Rumlow remarked behind her. 

“Fuck off,” Kebo flipped the man off just for good measure and stood up. He saw Grant and Skye coming around the corner as he did. “See both in one piece.” He waved his hand in their general direction hoping Romanoff would stop wanting to kill him and yell at Grant for not waiting for help.

Kebo was not disappointed. Natasha waited until both were standing next to them and the car and proceeded to hit Grant in the back of his skull.

“Fuck Nat. That hurt.”

“That was the point,” Natasha replied without pause and turned toward the inhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. agent they were there for, “Natasha Romanoff. You must be Daisy Johnson. Let’s get off the street and somewhere safer.”

“Actually ma’am,” Skye looked up, eyes darting to Grant and then to Kebo who was dusting the dirt off his jeans, “Skye is fine. Daisy was Coulson’s agent. No way I am going back to that.”

Grant hid the smile he wanted to show her and left his face blank. He wouldn’t give Brock ammunition for later. 

“Alrighty. Rumlow, you are with me and Skye. Kebo and Ward take the car back to the jet,” Natasha turned and walked toward a navy SUV parked on the other side of the lot. 

“Nat,” Grant started to say.

“Don’t Ward. I covered your ass last night and now I need to know how much of a risk this girl, this S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is.”

“Totally get that,” Grant held up his hands to show he didn't disagree with the driving arrangements, “Go easy. They tortured her for weeks. I don’t know what all was done, but she looked to me for comfort. That should tell you how bad it was.”

“God. Are you serious?” Natasha paled as she processed that information. Daisy Johnson was the  _ new  _ S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top field agent. If Coulson was willing to give her over to be tortured, there was no telling what the organization was doing to the innocent civilians that were taken. The redhead shook off the disgust she felt and nodded toward Grant. “Kid gloves. Got it. Let Rumlow know while I start the car and get her settled into it.”

Grant gave a tilt of his head and turned back to where Rumlow and Kebo were arguing and Skye looked like she was about to kill them both.

“Rumlow,” Grant called. Natasha took his spot next to Kebo and guided Skye away.

“Ok now that is just us girls. Are there any injuries that we need to know about? Anything you would like me to take a look at away from the dumbshits?” Natasha asked gently. 

Skye nodded quickly. “My back and side. They had me strapped to my stomach when I escaped. I haven’t had time to really look. I know there are stitches on my ribs but I don’t really know how bad it is. I didn’t want to ask Ward.” Skye ducked her head. She was ashamed of how weak she seemed in front of one of her heroes.

“Skye,” Natasha said, waiting for Skye to look up, “You have nothing to be ashamed of. Those monsters did this. They deserve to burn. I understand not being comfortable with someone like Grant looking you over, but I would really like to have a look when we get back to the jet. I will just look at your lower back and side right now ok?” She waited for the young woman in front of her to nod her consent before reaching for Skye’s shirt.

Natasha knew how important it was to get consent and tell a person still in shock from torture exactly what was going to happen. She didn’t think Grant had ever been on this side of it. She knew the man still cared deeply for this girl, but that didn’t mean he would do what was needed. Skye would need special treatment. 

“I am going to raise your shirt about six inches,” Natasha spoke through what she did, “I am going to take my left hand and run it over your lower back to feel for any masses or anything else that would need immediate attention.” Natasha purposefully didn’t say what she saw. The girl’s lower back was covered in deep black bruises and lines of welts. About every other inch was a line that had been stitched together that looked like it was from a knife, but it continued higher up on her back so it would have to wait. 

“What the fuck did they do to her?” Rumlow startled both of the women. He was openly staring at Skye’s back.

“Rumlow shut it,” Natasha ordered, helping Skye into the back seat. “Skye would you like me to sit back here with you or Dumbshit here?”

A small smile tugged at Skye’s lips. “The dumbshit is fine. I know you would probably want to drive.”

“Well we can’t trust the boys to drive us,” Natasha quipped back. She was happy to see that Brock’s stupid remark hadn’t caused her to dissociate. Hurt Natasha could deal with. Broken was something she was pretty sure was beyond her. She was still putting herself back together. The last thing they needed was an inhuman that was mentally unstable. 

Rumlow rolled his eyes at the two of them. He knew what Natasha was doing. Grant had said it was bad but Brock knew the other man didn’t have a clue what had actually happened or Grant never would have let Skye out of his sight even for just the short drive to the jet.

“Brock Rumlow. At your service, pretty lady,” Brock introduced himself to the girl in the seat beside him.

She had curled into a ball on the seat and was looking like she was ready to take a hit at any moment. His heart broke for the poor girl. Sure she had shot at him a few times, but that was business. They were paid to be on opposite sides of the field. No harm no foul. He knew Agent Johnson was honorable. She never killed if it could be avoided and never left a teammate behind. Those facts alone made her good in Brock’s book. 

“I know. I have been in a firefight with you before. Kebo loves to yell people’s names while he is losing a battle.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” Brock laughed, knowing she spoke from experience, “Yeah well now that we are on the same side for a while I thought I would be a gentleman.”

Natasha drove constantly looking in the mirror to check on the two seated behind her. Skye seemed less comfortable with Brock than Grant but more than her. Odd. She wondered why the agent was more comfortable with men than women. Knowing that no answers would be retrieved on this trip she rolled her eyes at the thought of Brock being a gentleman.

“Rumlow do you even know what the word gentleman means?”

“Hey,” he said in false outrage causing Skye to smile. “Now you are both laughing at me. I see my role on this team. And here I thought Kebo was the jester.”

Skye gave a small laugh. “Kebo is too annoying to be funny. And I think Ms. Romanoff…”

“Oh no. Natasha or Romanoff. No miss. No agent. Just first or last name.”

“Sorry,” Skye squeaked and curled deeper into her seat shutting down again.

Brock shot a glare toward their driver. He had her opening up toward them and with one misplaced correction, the girl was back to square one.

“If you really want to piss her off, call her Tasha,” Brock fake whispered. 

Skye didn’t respond. She looked out the window and wondered how much longer. She just wanted to disappear. Her mind wondered what had happened after she was taken. Did Fitz-Simmons know? Had they helped Coulson? She couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down her face. She didn’t have the energy to even wipe them away. Instead, Skye pulled her legs into her chest tighter and turned further toward the window, away from the other two in the vehicle with her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ She didn’t know how long she sat in the dark tied to this bed. Her arms were spread and her legs were strapped down. She couldn’t move anything. Terror filled her. Taking deep breaths she tried to calm down.  _

_ Figure out exits. Assess resources. Grant Ward’s words from so long ago floated through her mind. Without focusing on why her mind had his voice instead of May’s she gripped onto it. She clung to the memories of her S.O. holding the punching bag, teaching her how to be an agent. _

_ ‘What is in the room with you?’ she could hear him saying. _

_ ‘Standard medical equipment. No sharps.’ she answered in her head. _

_ ‘What can you do?’ _

_ ‘Nothing. I am strapped to a metal table and my powers aren’t working.’ _

_ ‘Then you wait until you can. Run through scenarios and make plans. Survive.’ She could almost see his dark honey eyes as he implored her to get out of this. _

_ “Well Ms. Johnson, now that you are awake we can begin,” the voice of the tall brunette woman in a lab coat was oddly cheerful as she approached, “While this may take a while, I promise we will be learning together just what your mutation is capable of.”  _

_ Without waiting for an answer the woman shoved a gag into Daisy’s mouth, and then pulled out a sterile bag from one of the cabinets to her left. Without being able to turn her head Daisy couldn’t see much of anything, but she felt the knife as it cut into her without warning. _

_ “We will need multiple samples. Where do you think would be best? Nevermind.” The woman peeled a strip of skin off of Daisy's stomach.  _

“Skye!”

She sat up straight and felt the muscles everywhere protest. She had fallen asleep in the SUV. Grant was leaning into the seat where Brock had been. His hand on her shoulder where he had shaken her awake.

“Sorry. I am more tired than I thought.”

“All good. We are all set to take off. Nat wanted me to get you settled so she could look you over.”

“Ward, can you check instead of her?” Skye whispered without looking at him.

A cold chill went through Grant. Natasha had warned him that she might cling to him, but he didn’t believe her. Skye hated him. She knew what a medical check would involve. Why would she be more comfortable with Grant than with Natasha? _What did those bastards do to her?_

“If you want me there, I will, but Natasha knows more than me about all this. I would feel better if she looked you over. If you aren’t completely comfortable with her checking you completely just a basic check and then Dr. Cho can give you a once over when we get back,” Grant said trying to be gentle.

Skye nodded. She quickly got up and without acknowledging the pain that ripped through her body waited for Grant to lead the way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know what you think!


	5. Focus to Survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye gets her wounds looked at on the plane. Grant tries to reign in his temper when he sees what was done to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. It is a bit slow but does what I wanted it to. Hope you enjoy.

“Ok, Skye? I need you to take off your shirt and bra,” Natasha said in a neutral tone, “Grant will come in as soon as you are done.”

Taking a deep breath, Skye imagined boxes. Compartmentalize. May taught her how. She wasn’t good at it but she knew how.

_ Put it in a box. Deal with it later. Ward doesn’t need to be in here. Romanoff won’t hurt me.  _ Skye repeated this mantra until she was calm. Grant walked out without looking back. He kept his back turned but she could still see him. 

_ Focus on what you need to do to survive.  _ Skye heard his voice in her head again.  _ Do whatever you have to to get somewhere we can rescue you. _ She closed her eyes and undressed. Once again his words from so long ago was a comfort when she felt she wouldn’t be able to get through. Natasha handed her a sheet and she quickly covered her front. She wouldn’t get on the medical bed. 

She sat down facing away from the older woman. Natasha must have made some movement though because Grant came back in and stood in front of her.

“Skye, I am going to clean your wounds and remove the stitches so we can see where we are starting.”

“Stitches?” Grant questioned, leaning forward to get a look. It must have been worse than Skye thought when she saw his face go back to his agent mask. The half pissed off half annoyed look that he thought made him look emotionless. 

“I will need to check your legs as well, but that can wait until we are done with your top half.”

Grant took the moment to look over what he could see of her front. She had the sheet held to her chest in a death grip. Her knuckles were white. He could see long scratches over her shoulders going down to where the sheet covered her. Her face was clear, but he thought there wasn’t going to be much else that was. 

He kept a mask of nothing on his face. She didn’t need to see how angry he was. Coulson did this to her. The man that said she was like a daughter to him and he had done this damage. Coulson may not have held the blade, but he gave her to those monsters. He tried to take her back after she finally escaped. 

Grant knew he wasn’t innocent. Even after getting out from under Garrett’s control, he was still a horrible person, but he knew that he would never allow this to happen to someone he claimed to care about. He forced himself not to show his rage. He could feel the heat of the berserker staff boil in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to find the people responsible for hurting her and smash their skulls in. 

Even when he was a crazy Hydra agent, he couldn’t actually hurt Fitz-Simmons. It killed him to find out the pod hadn’t floated. He was startled out of his dark thoughts as Skye grabbed his hand and her death grip was transferred to him. 

“It’s ok. No one is going to hurt you here,” He knelt down to be even with her as he continued to whisper comforting words to her. His fury dissolved as he focused on keeping her calm, but the overwhelming urge from before was gone. He no longer needed to please her. He could tell her no. He could have chosen to leave. It was different than before. He knew the fury from the staff was still there. They had determined that there was nothing anyone could do about that, but the compulsion that had been left from Lorelei and then transferred to Skye was gone.

He could ignore her wishes. He didn’t want to but he could. He remembered arguing with her in the motel. He had manhandled her without even thinking. He could choose. For the first time in his life, he could choose. 

Greg, his therapist, had told him that the compulsion and Stockholm Syndrome had been dealt with for the most part. That he was beyond the hardest part, but he hadn’t realized until now how much from before was caused by everything wrong in his head. He still cared for Skye, but it wasn’t all-consuming. 

Natasha was watching them with a critical eye. He looked up at her as she started removing the stitches from Skye. Cutting thread after thread. He counted 200 before he stopped because he could feel the rage building again. Natasha kept going.

Natasha was sickened by the rest of Skye’s back. Her lower back was still bruised, but the lines that had been carved into her back weren’t as large as they had been back at the car. Skye was healing at an astonishing rate. Natasha noted that there was more bruising and it looked as if she had every rib at least bruised if not broken. Natasha moved her hand over the incision at the end of a few of her ribs. It looked as if they had wanted to remove the bone, but the bone was still there. Did they implant something? How was she able to move with this much damage let alone escape?

“How are you even walking?” Natasha wondered out loud without realizing.

“I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t stay. It doesn’t hurt as much as some of the other experiments did,” Skye replied nonchalantly. Natasha was shocked. Skye acted as if her injuries were an inconvenience at best not nearly as life-threatening as they would have been.

“Other experiments?” Grant asked gently.

Skye ignored his question and went back to staring into space and gripping his hand as her life depended on it. 

“Alright Skye, I have removed all of the stitches from your back. All of them look ok to leave as is and we won’t need to restitch now. I am going to bandage you after we do the rest. I would like to see your front.” 

“Please no,” Skye whimpered. She didn’t sound like herself. Grant could feel her shaking. The instruments around them started to shake and bang together. Her eyes darted around the room. She was trying to calm herself, but everything started to vibrate. Natasha and Grant could feel the energy in the room.

“Nat, is she in any immediate danger?” Grant asked, wanting to spare Skye any more trauma. He knew Natasha was the only one with the training among those on the jet, but they weren’t that far out now. Skye was getting more upset by the second and he didn’t want her powers to take the plane out of the air. 

“No, but she needs to be seen. Cho is still in Wakanda. I am the only female with medical training right now.”

Skye’s head popped up. She looked ready to dart. “No. Please no.”

Natasha and Grant looked at each other. 

“It’s ok, Skye. I don’t have to look, right now. We can wait,” Natasha laid a hand on the girl's shoulder only to feel her pull away sharply. “We can wrap you up now. They should be good for a little bit.”

Natasha turned away, already grabbing the supplies she would need. She also left out extras in case they needed more. “Alright, Grant will you please give us a minute while I wrap her?”

Grant stood and left the room without saying anything. Skye felt her anxiety rise with his every step. 

“Focus on what you need to do to survive,” she muttered. 

Grant turned sharply hearing her talking to herself. Those words were what he had told her so long ago.

“Nat, leave,” he ordered without even looking.

Natasha looked up from where she was prepping the supplies and started to correct Grant on his attitude when she saw the harsh clenching of his jaw and the seriousness of his tone sunk in. 

“I will go check to make sure Kebo and Rumlow haven’t killed each other. The last thing I want is to clean blood out of the cockpit again.” She nodded toward Grant on her way out. 

Grant knelt back down in front of Skye who was still muttering those words over and over to herself.

“Skye, look at me,” he said in a gentle voice, but with the tone he used as her S.O., She immediately looked him in the eyes. “You survived. You did good.”

“I did what I had to to get somewhere and you rescued me.”

He wanted to cringe as she told him that. Those were the words he told her before her first mission. Back in Malta she had been so nervous. He told her just to do what she needed to and let them rescue her. Now she said those words and he knew that was what she had used to get out. What she was using to push the pain away. It also explained why she was trusting him. She had used his lessons to escape. He was what she had used to survive. 

“Skye, you need to rest,” Grant tried to distract her. She stood too quickly. Grant caught her around her waist as she swayed obviously dizzy. 

“I got you. I got you, Skye,” he muttered, not letting her stand on her own. 

“Skye,” Grant waited for her to look at him before continuing, “Let’s get you back to a bunk. We should land within the hour so you can just rest.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, pretty lady. Time to join the land of the living.”

Skye bolted up and groaned as she felt the scabs on her back open back up. Brock was outside her bunk. She relaxed back a little. 

“Let me know you are ok or I’m coming in,” he reported, hearing her.

“I’m up, but I need a little help with my back. I think it’s bleeding again. Can you get some gauze?” She opened the door to ask him. 

“No problem, darlin’,” he hurried away to get what she needed. 

“Here sweetheart. Let me help.” He watched as she struggled to lift her shirt. Blood trickled out of the lines down her back. He decided that wrapping her torso was going to be simpler than single taped gauze pads. Setting everything down he sank down next to her on the bed. 

“Alrighty,” Brock reached around her stomach, “Lean back, darlin’. I am gonna slowly wrap you. Let me know if it is too tight.”

Skye nodded. She covered her chest with her arms and leaned back against Brock’s chest. She relaxed as he gently wrapped the soft gauze around her, helping her lean forward and back as he went around. 

Brock was amazed by her reaction to him. Natasha had told him how she was when they were in the med bay. He had seen her shut down in the car, but she was calm and relaxed against him, a person she thought was a Hydra traitor. 

He looked away as he wrapped higher and started covering her breasts. He could feel the stitches still on her front as he went. They scratched against his hands again and again. He tapped her shoulder signaling he was done. He was helping her put her shirt back on when he felt someone coming up behind them.

Grant had his mask firmly in place as he came to check on Skye. Brock was sitting on her bed. Both of them had their backs toward him and it looked as if Brock was helping her wrap her wounds. She was relaxed. She was half-naked and leaning into Brock’s chest. Grant shook his head. 

_ That’s her choice. Rumlow won’t hurt her. It’s probably better for her to turn to someone else.  _ He turned and walked away without saying anything. He didn’t want to look too closely at the pain he felt at Skye in another man’s arms. Instead, he went out of the hanger and headed toward his apartment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know your thoughts on this one!


	6. Tower Tours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye gets settled into the tower.

When she had first been taken to Dr. Cho’s lab by Brock, she had a panic attack. She didn’t hyperventilate, but she felt her heart race and she knew that she was a moment away from full-on panic. Brock had held her hand as Helen, as she insisted on being called, put her through a large range of tests. Turns out she isn’t completely human.  _ No shit!  _ She healed extremely fast.  _ Again tell me something I don’t know.  _ And she would need therapy.  _ Like I didn’t before. _

Brock had sat and joked with her. He was extremely sweet. Kebo had stopped by as she was given a tour “Just seeing if I need to sleep with a gun?” He had joked. Brock left her with Natasha after they had run into Kebo. They ran into Tony and Steve on their way to the apartment that Skye would be staying in. Tony had looked her over once and asked where she came from.

“What the hell, triple agent?”

“Tony, this is Skye,” Natasha introduced them. Skye was looking at the floor. Natasha had noticed the change in her demeanor as soon as Brock left. She hadn’t looked up at all. Monosyllabic words were all that answered Natasha’s questions.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Steve was much more polite than the man next to him. 

“Doesn’t answer my question. Where did she come from? Why is she in my tower?”

“Really? Pepper said it was the Avenger’s tower. Not yours,” Natasha avoided the questions.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers. I needed help. I didn’t mean to intrude. I will be out of your hair momentarily,” Skye muttered and darted for the elevator before anyone could stop her. Steve had noticed how skittish the girl was and managed to slip inside the elevator behind the young woman before the doors closed. He quickly told FRIDAY to halt the elevator and turned toward Skye.

“Ok first. Wow, you are faster than I thought you would be,” Steve started. “Second, please call me Steve. You’re Coulson’s Agent Johnson, right?”

“Yes. No. Sorry, Captain Rogers” Skye muttered, folding herself into the corner. She didn’t want to get anyone in any trouble. She just wanted to disappear. 

“Ok let's start over. Hi. I’m Steve. Only Steve. What’s your name?” he put on his most charming smile. Hoping to put her at ease. She hadn’t looked up yet. 

“Skye. I was Agent Johnson. Daisy Johnson is the name my parents gave me but I didn’t know that until a year ago. I have been Skye for much longer. I tried being Daisy. That didn’t work out well,” Skye explained, finally looking up at the man in the small space with her. Steve nodded slowly making sure she saw him. He waited to see if she would continue. 

“So I can call you Skye?”

“Yeah.”

“What brings you to the tower, Skye?”

“Grant Ward,” Skye answered without explaining.

“Ah. You are the reason he left the safe house before extraction. Grant must trust you to bring you here.”

“Oh no he doesn’t. I was in trouble. I was betrayed by S.H.I.E.L.D. Tortured by the ATCU. Ward was the only person I could turn to. I made a mistake. I should have done it alone. Now I have messed up whatever is going on here.”

“Grant’s a good guy. He would have helped no matter what, but he wouldn’t have brought you here if we couldn’t trust you. I’m sorry about everything else. Have you been given….” Steve was stopped by a bang on the elevator latch from above. Brock opened the latch and stuck his head in.

“All good in here?” he asked.

Steve watched as Skye smiled. She trusted Brock. Weird. Even knowing the other man had been a plant inside Hydra it was still hard for Steve to trust the man as he did before. As far as he knew Coulson didn’t know who all had been plants inside Hydra. Skye should still believe that Brock was Hydra, but then she was obviously trusting of Grant and he had been Hydra.

“All good. Steve was just asking why I’m here. I am assuming he stopped the elevator because my brain told me to run.”

“Silly brain. How ‘bout we all go down to the common room and then you two can keep talking? Tony is about to have an aneurysm. And as fun as that would be to see, he kinda pays the bills.”

Steve let out a little laugh as Brock ungracefully fell into the elevator with more flair than necessary, but it seemed to put Skye at ease so who was he to say anything? 

“Sounds good,” Steve said, putting the elevator into motion. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Why are you hiding in here?” Natasha propped her hip against the door to the kitchen on her floor. She expected him to be with Skye. Instead, Brock had been giving her a tour. She had come to find the specialist when Steve had taken over with Skye’s attempted escape. Helen had warned her not to leave the girl alone. There was a real chance of her hurting herself.

“I’m not hiding,” Grant defended himself. He was cooking himself dinner. He hadn’t eaten since the granola bar that morning. “See cooking. Food. This thing one needs to live. Yeah, I need some.”

“Yeah. I see that. And why didn’t you help Skye to the lab?”

“Rumlow had her,” Grant said easier than he felt. His heart sank, but he kept the look on his face neutral.

“Bullshit,” Natasha called him out. She knew he was in love with the girl. 

“Look, Nat. You are like family to me but stay out of it. You only know the basics of what happened. She is better off not clinging to me. The only reason she called me is because I was her S.O. What little training I gave her before was what she used to escape and it made her think I was more. She needs help and not from me.”

“Grant Douglas Ward! You have got to stop putting yourself down,” she yelled at the stubborn idiot in front of her.

He put his head down and ignored her. He went back to the pot on the stove. He wasn’t having this conversation with Natasha. They would have to agree to disagree. He told her as much.

“If you are done with the mother hen crap do you want any soup?” 

Natasha sighed, recognizing that he wouldn’t allow the conversation to continue. “What kind?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So on this floor is myself, Grant, Kebo, Steve, and Bucky. We have a kitchen and dining room over there. You get off the elevator into the common room. This room here,” Brock motioned to a closed door, “will be yours. Each room has a sitting room and bathroom, and of course a bedroom. Pepper has probably already ordered you clothes because that’s what she does.” 

Brock continued to fill her in, but Skye only heard about every third word. Steve whispered, “It's a lot. I feel like my closet would be more room than anyone would need.”

Skye smiled up at the super-soldier. “This is more room than the entire Bus.”

“I know, right? Before my SHIELD apartment, I had a bunk with 50 other men.”

Brock had stopped trying to give Skye a tour. Steve and her had sat on the couch in the common room and were talking. Brock decided to give them time to get to know each other.

“Hey little natural disaster,” Kebo greeted walking out of a room across from Skye’s. 

“What’s up Kebo? Come to get your ass kicked again?” Skye teased.

“You put me in the hospital once and now you think you’re all badass. Keep dreaming sweetheart.”

Steve and Brock just laughed at the two. The elevator dinged and Grant walked in not really paying attention to everyone. 

“So, what movie are we watching tonight?” Steve asked. 

Grant looked up at the question. He noticed Steve and Kebo sandwiching Skye on the couch. She wasn’t looking at him but she had a small smile on her face. She was calm.  _ Good. She feels safe here.  _

“I’m good, Rogers. I’m calling it a day,” Grant replied.

“Well, what about the rest of you?”

Skye looked up as Grant left the room and felt as if he had been avoiding her. She didn’t know how to feel about that.  _ I guess everything really was just leftovers from crazy Asgard magic. I’m really nothing more than a burden. _ She put on a fake smile. Not too much but enough to look relaxed.

“I’m good with anything but gore. No thank you,” Skye replied.

“What do you have on your list, Steve? Bucky back from his mission?”

“He was debriefing with Banner and Barton. I will go get the list.”

“I think it might be better for me to head to bed. The meds Dr. Cho gave me are supposed to make me sleepy.”

“All good, Quake. See you in the morning.”

“Night guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know your thoughts!


	7. Grant and Skye Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye finally talk. Everyone makes fun of Kebo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much writing today. I haven't edited this. I will probably come back in a while, but I wanted to post it. Please let me know what you think.

Four weeks later, Skye felt trapped. She was only alone at night when she went to bed. From 6 a.m. till at least 9 p.m. someone was always with her. Steve and Bucky would eat breakfast with her when they got back from their morning run. Brock took her to her therapist. Kebo had helped her start training again. She sparred with Natasha and Clint. Tony shared his lab and let her help with tech and hacking. 

Everyone, but the person she knew. Grant wasn’t exactly avoiding her, but he also wasn’t with her. Everyone else made it known they were there for her. Grant was just in the room. He left the gym when her and Kebo came in. He ate with all of them and took part in group activities, but made a point to never be alone with her.

Today had been rough. Her therapist, Dr. Martin had her going over her relationship with her former team. She had to talk about how Simmons had locked her in quarantine. How Bobby had attacked her. How Coulson had sent him off to be tortured. Afterward, Natasha had been there to escort her back to the floor where the boys, as she had started calling them, were arguing over dinner. 

“Skye,” Kebo called when they entered the common room, “tell these self-righteous bastards that pineapple is a perfectly acceptable pizza topping.”

“Maybe for a Hydra agent,” Steve quipped back. Kebo shot a glare toward Captain America. 

“Doll,” Bucky gently probed as Natasha left, “Everything ok?”

“Yeah,” Skye replied, “Therapy sucked. I just want to go to bed.” 

“Trust me I understand. Do you want me to let you know when the pizza gets here?” Bucky asked.

“No. I’m too tired.”

Grant watched as Skye never looked up from her feet as she spoke to Bucky.  _ Damn.  _ He quickly stood. He didn’t manage to get to the door before she closed it behind her. He shot a glance at the others. Brock nodded for Grant to take care of it. Raising his hand he started when the door opened back up.

Skye looked just as startled as Grant as she looked up at him with his hand raised to knock on her door. 

“Oh, sorry. I was just gonna grab a glass of water,” Skye looked back down at her feet. Her chest felt as if it was collapsing in on itself as he continued to just stand there. Neither knew what to do. Brock and Bucky silently laughed at the situation. Steve pitied them. Kebo just wanted them to kiss and fuck. Make everyone’s life easier. Kebo heard Skye and rushed to get her water so Grant wouldn’t back down. He brought a glass of water over, handing it to Grant.

“Can we talk?” Grant asked her, passing the glass to her. She moved out of the way letting him into her sitting room. He took a seat and waited for her to join him. Skye took a deep breath and closed the door, ignoring Kebo’s not-so-subtle gestures. 

She took a sip of the cool water sitting on the other side of the couch. She wasn’t going to start. He had asked. She let him in. She had to talk all day. He could do the talking. She set the glass down and looked at him. She would put on the brave face. 

He tried to figure out where to start. He knew she was having issues. Natasha had ripped him a new one this morning about avoiding her. He could still feel the ass-kicking she had given him as she lectured him about missed opportunities. 

“Look,” Grant started.

“Grant,” Skye said at the same time. Both looked at each other sheepishly. Skye motioned for him to go first.

“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “I have been avoiding you, because of my own issues and you didn’t deserve that.”

“You don’t owe me anything Grant. You helped get me out of there.”

“First off, you got yourself out. I just helped you stay out. Second, I’m not saying sorry because I feel like I owe you,” Grant growled. He didn’t want her pity. He didn’t want a relationship based on anything other than attraction and affection. 

“Grant,” Skye looked back down at her feet, trying to gather the courage to tell him everything.

“What, Skye?” he pushed. She wanted to say something but was scared. It was like that night after Malta. “Just tell me. Come on, Rookie.”

She smiled at the nickname. Grant felt a weight being lifted from his chest as he caught the lifting of her lips. 

“I didn’t call you because I thought you owed me or anything else. I called because I knew that you would do what you thought was right. No matter how fucked up your head got you still did what you felt was right,” Skye explained. She knew he was doubting himself. He was awful with emotions.

“I kidnapped you. I handed you over to your father. Not to mention the creepy comments,” Grant reminded her. 

“I said your head was fucked up,” she joked. She looked at him. He gasped at the look on her face. She was looking at him like she had back in the Hub when she had first kissed him. He knew that those memories were stained with Asgardian voodoo, but he didn’t care. 

“And now?” he quietly asked. He dreaded the answer but had to know. 

“Well, now I’m the one fucked in the head. Wanna help me?” 

“Everything always just rolls off you,” he smiled. It was her turn to gasp.  _ Hot damn those dimples.  _ “How ‘bout you come out for dinner? No one will care if you fall asleep out there.”

She rolled her eyes, “Fine, but only if you promise not to let Kebo pull anything.”

“Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a boy scout.”

Grant just laughed and held his hand out to help her up, smiling when she took it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey Cap, come here,” Kebo whispered. He had a glass and his ear up against Skye’s door. “I need a super-soldier's hearing. They are too far from the door. That or they took it to the bedroom.”

Brock laughed as Steve turned bright red. Bucky just patted Steve’s back in sympathy. Kebo went back to listening. The other three turned up the TV making Kebo’s personal mission that much harder.

“Leave them alone,” Steve warned him, “We aren’t going to save you if either of them catches you.”

“Skye will hurt you,” Bucky reminded him.

“Ward might just shoot you,” Brock added. The former STRIKE leader put his hands behind his head, relaxing and waiting for the show that was going to be Kebo getting his ass kicked.

“They’re too distracted to notice me. Not to mention I’m a great spy,” Kebo started but was interrupted by Grant opening her door still holding her hand.

“Oh yeah great spy,” Steve laughed as a look of fear covered Kebo’s face. Skye was mad, but Grant looked murderous.

“Kebo.”

“Bossman,” Kebo didn’t try to finish. He ran. Better to be a coward than dead. He heard the laughter of the other three follow him as he crashed into the stairwell. 

Grant started to follow him but stopped as he heard something he hadn’t heard in a while, Skye’s giggle. She had her mouth covered, but he saw the mirth in her eyes. She walked up and grabbed his hand and led him toward the couch.

Bucky locked the door to the stairwell with a smile. Brock and Steve took up the recliners and Bucky sat at Steve’s feet. Steve tossed Grant the remote and they all relaxed while waiting for Kebo to bring back the pizza. Brock shot their locked-out floormate that he was only allowed back in with the pizzas and he needed to tip well.

They heard the yell of “Fuckers” from the stairs. Skye laughed and laid her head on Grant’s shoulder. She was asleep before they decided what to watch. Grant shifted her and kissed the top of her head before settling back into the couch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment on what you think will happen next.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think.


End file.
